Ball-grinding machine.



A. F. ROCKWELL.

BALL GRINDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY z3. 190s.

Patented Feb. 22,' 1910.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATE@ PATENT lHTTQE.

ALBERT F. ROCKWELL, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEW DEPAR-TURE MANUFACTURING COIVIPANY, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 0FCONNECTICUT.

BALL-GRINDING MACHINE.

Specifica-tion of Letters Patent.

Patented lFeb. 22, llQllO.

Application filed July 23, 1908. Serialy No. 4453006.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. RooK- `i WELL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Bristol, county of Hartford, State of Connecticut,have invented a certain new act description, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to grinding machines, and is particularlyapplicable to machines for grinding balls. ln machines of this class ithas been customary to employ grinding disks having a plurality ofconcentric grooves in which the balls are received and ground, theballs, after traversing any groove, being deposited promiseuously upon atable where they mix with the balls from all other grooves and then rollinto any groove into which chance may direct them for further grinding.In such a construction a ball traversing only some grooves does notreceive the same grinding which is received by other balls which havetraversed other grooves. Furthermore, the balls loosely spread upon thetable have a tendency to roll together at the entrances to the groovesand thus clo such entrances and thereby interfere witg the; continuousand uniform operation of the machine.

One object of my invention is to provide means whereby each rball isdefinitely fed from one grinding grooveto another denite-grindinggroove, thus positively causing each ball to traverse exactly the samepath through the machine, the/result being uniform l.grinding for eachball and consequent uniformity in the completed product.

A further obj ect is to provide simple and inexpensive means whereby thevballs are transferred from groove to groove without jamming. orclogging.

Tothese ends, and also to improve generally upon devices of thecharacter indicated, mypk invention consists in the various mattershereinafter described and claimed.

In -the accompanying drawings Figure l is'a side elevation of a machineembodying my invention, certain of the parts' Ybeing broken away; F ig.2 is a face view of the 'grinding disk which serves as a base plate forthe articles being ground; 'Fig'. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevationon about the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and Figs. 4 and 5 are. respectively,sectional elevations on t about the lines Ll-i and of Fig. 2.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, 25 -indicates astationary grinding member, usually of metal, which serves as abed-plate for the balls, and 15 represents the cooperating, rotatinggrinding disk of abrasive material. The concentric grinding grooves 27in the said bed or guide disk 25 produce grinding channels in which the.

balls are received. A transfer groove or passage, 28, connectsV thedelivery end `of each grinding groove with the receiving end of the nextsuch groove. Thus, all of the grinding grooves are definitely connectedto produce a continuous raceway through the machine and each ball, uponleaving one grinding groove, is definitely directed to another definitegroove. Theresult is that each ball is forced to traverst the one denitepath through the machine and thus receives the same grinding actionreceived by every other ball, whereby a uniform product is transfergrooves 28 are of approximately the size ofthe balls; that is to sa theyare large enough to permit each ,all t0 readily pass but are too smallto permit two or more balls to jam to ether. Thus all clo ging orjamming is o viated and7 the bal s traverse the entlre raceway in asteady stream. As shown particularly in Fig. fi, each transfer groove,in the illustrated embodiment of my invention, is atf substantiallythelevel of a grinding groove at the receiving endof the transfergroove, then extends in what may be termed a downward or backwarddirection and then rises to. join the next grinding groove. Thus theballs are transferred in a simple manner and with out interfering `withthe grinding action. To insure ready passage of the balls, the transfergrooves 'incline in the direction of rotation of the disk l5. Forconvenience in manufacture, I prefer to form the transfer o'oves inablock 29 which is received in a suitable radial recess 30 in'the saiddisk 25, thereb permitting the transfer grooves to be .rea ily bored andalso permittlng the block to be easily slipped/into and out of positionas occasion may require, the grooves obtained. Preferably the thus beingincluded between the faces of the disk 25 and obviating objectionableeX- tensions. 'Ihe portions 6 of the block which extend across thegrooves 27` serveas pro# jections to deflect the balls into the transfergrooves. I have found it best to introduce the balls into the innerchannel (embodying the groove 33) and to then let them pass to the othergrooves. yAs eachv outer groove is of greater circumference than thesaid,

Iinner groove or channel, the balls received in such outer grooves fromthe innerone have a chance to become spaced from each other and to thushave greater freedom to present all points of their ysurfaces tothegrinding action. A convenient means for introducing the balls is thesupply channel 0r duct 3l formed in said disk 25 and exi tending fromthe edge of said disk to said inner grinding groove 33. Preferably, a

slot 2 is cut obliquely across the edge of the said disk 25, asparticularly shown in Fig. 1, the last grinding groove, 32, deliveringto said slot or passage and the said supply channel also openingthereinto. Balls can be d elivered tosaid supply channel 31 in anysuitable manner, as through a pipe 35 from a reservoir. If it be desiredto have'the balls pass only oncethrou h the machine, a suitabledeiiector 37 can e placed in the discharge passage 2 to lead the groundballs `away. If, however,.it be desired to subject Ythe balls tolrepeated operations of the machine, the defiector is not -used and thesupply from the reservoir is cut od after the machine is filled with thedesired number' of balls,.in which event the ground ballsdischargingfrom the last groove 32 enter the passage 2 and are return to the supplychannel 31. and inexpensive structure, I provide a machinefin which eachbal1\is lcoi'npe'lled-to traverse just the path traversed by each otherball and all tendency ofthe balls to jam together is'obviated. Smooth,and 'uninterrupted operation of the machine is assured and I ,securegreat uniformity of the ground product.- c Y The particularmachine hereillustrated Thus, by a simp e vembodies a bed 10 upon legs 11,standands' 12 sup orting the shaft 13 which has a driving-pu ey 14 andcarries the' abrasive disk 15, a standard 16 whose hubl? receives theadjusting screw 18, said standard having guide rods-20, and the holdingplate- 21 to Awhich the disk 25 is secured by the screws 26, lsaidholdin plate being ided upon said -rods 20 an having the co lar.22(provided with a beveled face 23) which secures said holding plate tothe head 19 of said screw but permits the latter to yrotate to adjustthe grinding member 25 toward and away from the grinding member 15, 24indicating holes.

member having a p grooves with another recess and having ed bysaid'passa ey `member having a plurality of means for -feedin arranged@essie Having thus described my invention, what lI claim as newanddesire to'- secure by Letters Patent is: c A

1. In a grinding tniachiifie, a grinding member having a plurality ofgrooyea and means for directing each article acted upon through the samepath through said grooves; substantially asdescribed.

2. In a Agrindin machine, Ia grindinfy member having a p urality ofgrooves, an a transfer passage denitely connecting each of said grooveswith another 4definite one thereof; substantially as described.

3. In a grinding machine, a grindin member ,having a plurality ofgrooves, an a transfer passagedeiinitely connecting each of said grooveswith another definite one thereof and being of approximately the samesize as the articles acted upon, whereby said articles do not jam uponeach other in the transfer passage; substantially as described.

4. In a grinding machine, a grinding 2lurality of grooves, and atransfer passage definitely connecting' each of said grooves withanother definite one thereof and' inclined from onegroove to the otherin the direction of grinding rotation; substantially as described.

5. In a grindin machine, a 'grinding member having a p urality ofgrooves, and a transfer passage connecting` one of said thereof andincluded between the faces of said grinding member; substantially asdescribed,-

`6. In a grinding machine a grindin member having a plurality of groovesan provided with a recess, and a block in'said a transferpassageconnectin one of said grooves with another thereof; substantially asdescribed.

7.In a grinding machine, a., grindin rooves and providedwith a recess,and a b ock in said reess andihaving a transfer passage connei thereof,said blockhavinga portion obstructing the delivery end of a groove todeflect the articles being acted upon; substantially 4as described.

8. In a grinding machine, a grinding member haying a grinding racewayWhose diameter increases asv said raceway progresses from the center ofrevblution, and means for feeding articles to said'raceway at its innerportion; substantially yas described. j

,l 9.l In a grinding machine, a grinding member havin concentricgrooves, a transfer passageY einitely connecting each of saidvgrooves-with another one thereof, and articles to the inner groove;substantial y as described. i

v10. Two members coperatively supported for grinding'operation, alseries of grooves upon 'one lof the members, com

,ting 'one v of said4 grooves with another A respect to the grinder andeaaaia municating passages between each o f the adjacent grooves, and acommunicating pas-- sage extending between the two grooves lo cated-ateach side of the series.

l1. T wo members cooperatively supported for grinding operation, one ofsaid members having grooves concentrically arranged and with passagesbetween the adjacent grooves similarly located with respect to a radialline, and with a passage between the outerand inner grooves arrangedwith respect to the same radial line, and means forcausing grindingmovement of one member with re spect to the4 other.

"12. A grinder with means for rotating it, a ball holder cooperativelysupportedl with having a series of concentrically arranged grooves in'its surface with communicating passages having their outlets inclined inthe direction of rotation of the grinder and extending be- -tween eachof the adjacent grooves, and a passage inclined in the direction ofrotation o f the grinder and extending between the E .y outer and innergrooves, and means for causing travel of a ball in a lpredeterminedmanner through said communicating passages.- j 13. 'A grinder with meansfor rotating'it, a ball holder coperativelysupported with hrespect tothegrinder and having a series of grooves concentrically arranged in itssurface,

between each of the adjacent grooves, a communicating-passa e arrangedwith respect to the same radial ine and extending between the outer andinner grooves,

extending and means for causing travel of a ball in a;

predetermined path between all of the grooves.

14. A grinder with means for rotating 1t,

and a ball holder having grooves concentric' ALBERT kF. ROCKW ELL.

Witnesses: 4

PETER A. CAWLEY, JosnrHD.- BROWN.

direction of rotation communicating passages all similarly` varrangedwith respect to al radial line and of rotation of theA the outer andinner"

